National Republican., 1887-02-15
CURRENT COMMENT.
The scintiiiations which Brighten Our
Exchange List.

The tax on tobacco and fruit brandy will
not be removed, nor will the Blair edrca-
tional bill be passed.
John II, Reagan, of Texas, will be the
only farmer In the Senate OF the United
States after the 4th Of March next. In the
last census year there were In this country
100000 farmers and 1900 lawyers.
Atlanta Constitution. While the accom-
plished Postmaster General is wearing his
spike.ta coat to receptions, the great
south, from Washington to New Orleans,
is suffering for the lack of fast mail facili-
ties.
Chicago Herald: II Kaiser William is too
old and feeble to bear the hoorays OF his
loyal subjects on his birthday what would
become Of him If French army should
kick up q disturbance In his baillwlck
againY
Nashville Union The Senate OF the
United States has atoned for many Of its
sins In Its action OF Monday, when IL passed
the bills to encourage the manufacture OF
steel ordnance and for the construction OF
coast defenses.
The Missouri state geologist, Van Cleve,
estimates the undeveloped lead wealth Of
Missouri to be two hundred billion dollars.
He estimates the area OF lead to contain
five million acres 1t would seem from this
that we are not likely to run short Of bullet
material.
Detroit Tribune: Corruption In muui-
cipal government is peculiarly dastardly,
because 1t generally involves the robbery
by certain constituencies citizens of their
lesson ought to be repeated wherever 1t
shall be found necessary.
Manchester Union The Washington RE-
rf-r f.rA A n1a To hau nnt Of
| 200 members of Congress In favor Of the
| repeal Of the tobacco tax aud 1875 for free
sugar. Well, II this be true, as 1t possibly
may, the other 1875 above the 200 can settle
these matters on the right side.
Philadelphia NctcS: People who are on
| the inside have for long time known that
| legislation by Congress Is practically caucus
| or committee legislation. The floor OF Con-
| gress is used chiefly for "making record'
| for home consumption for the benefit Of
| constituents.
Minneapolis Tribune. Railroads should
| register their passengers, so that when said
| passengers are crushed or cremated by the
managers Of said railroads complete list
| Of the victims could be obtained. But then,
| perhaps the added expense Of blank book
now and then would be too great strain.
San Francisco Post. A New York re-
| porter has discovered a phantom ship In
| Long Island sound 1t is the British man
| of-war Hussar, which first sank hundred
| years ago, and has been sinking at intervals
| ever since. By the time the vessel has
| fouDdered few times more she will be
| qualified for place IN our navy.
New Orleans States II the Republicans
insist on Dakota being admitted as q state,
the Democrats can get In their work by
cutting up Texas into six states and let
them troop into the Union in the wake of
Dakota. Texas has Democratic majority
| OF 10000, and consequently each of the six
states would have a majority Of about %,
600. This is sufficient to give every Re-
publican in the land nightmare with four
horns on It,
st. Louis Post Dispatch: For time the
readiness with which scandalous nomlna-
tions were recalled and bad appointments
| revoked inclined the public to lay the Pres
idents mistakes In appointments to some
body else. But he has stubbornly adhered
TO so many bad ones in spite of exposures
on indubitable evidence, and so many OF his
removals, as in the Combs case at Balti-
more, have been such travesties Of civil
| service reform, and so manifestly sugges-
tive OF Difference to senatorial bosses who
publicly pledge their states to Cleveland for
1883, that even the Mugwumps are begin
ming to blame Mr.. Cleveland himself for
them.
Danville Register: We believe the to
bacco tax TO be unjust and discriminating
and we want to see it removed. But the
tobacco tax affects only one class OF our
people, whereas the tariff is something
with which the whole people are concerned
We believe that the first step toward re-
forming the tariff is the repeal of the in
see II In that way, and We confess that the
mere fact that Mr.. Randall is In favor OF
the repeal Of the tobacco tax makes us sus-
| picious on this point. II Mr.. Carlisle is
honest In believing that the repeal OF the
tobacco tax would be a bar hereafter to
tariff reform, and would keep the tariff as
1t is, then as the champion of tariff reform,
he did right to oppose Mr.. Randall's propo.
sition.
Atlanta Constitution BY pa .tisan exer.
else placed in his hands Mr.. Speaker Car.
Isle has decided not only that there shall
be no repeal of the tobacco tax at this ses-
sion, but he has given the revenue reform
ers to understand that motion to con
sider the repeal will not be permitted. II
| Mr.. Carlisle and those who agree with him
had been employed by the Republicans tc
strike blow at the Democratic party they
could not have carried out their pro.
gramme more completely. They have
struck the Democratic party diff between
II is claimed by the free traders that tht
tobacco tax is paid altogether by con
sumers. This is true, In measure, aud
yet the law under which the tax is collected
operates to cripple production. In the frs,
place, the tax affects the price of tobacco
and to that extent lessons production. Ii
the second place, the tax is levied on al
agricultural product that is as important tc
those who grow 1t as cotton is to the cottor
planters. The cotton tax demonstrated
the fact that, while tax might fall heav-
lest on consumers, 1t had the effect of EN-
barrassing producers.
This would be the natural result of tht
tobacco tax, but the law under which the
tax is collected has provisions that appear
to have been specially contrived for the
purpose Of embarrassing the tobacco gro W.
ers. Just what the condition of affairs are
in the north We do not know, but in the
south the great bulk of the tobacco crop IL
raised by small growers. The tax itself II
not so embarrassing as the burdens imposed
by the laws, and the real nature OF these
burdens can only be fully understood by
those who know the conditions under
which the tobacco crop In the south is pro
duced. In northern Georgia and Alabama
In Tennessee, North Carolina ana Virgins
and Kentucky, only about one tobacco
grower In thousand is able to flourish
under the law.
The great majority Of the tobacco farmer,
are poor. They are not able to raise al
much as hogshead of tobacco each, and
under tho law as IL now stands, they car
only sell to licensed dealer In leaf to
bacco. This provision is in the nature of a
great hardship, for In order to comply with
II, the small grower is compelled to exhaus
the most OF his profits In finJlnga market
The nearest licensed dealer may bs and
generally is in the south, many miles away
and II requires time and money for tn,
small grower TO reach lawful market.
Repeal the tax and the tobacco crop a
once becomes a money crop. The smal
grower could take his little crop TO To,
nearest market instead of having to q
many miles in search of licensed dealer
and barter 1t for necessary supplies or sci